A/N: This is one of the many fan theories about Pink Diamond, Lion, and Rose Quartz. Enjoy!
BROKEN
"My Diamond! My Diamond!" Rose Quartz's usually gentle, soothing voice was filled with worry and a touch of growing desperation. She looked around frantically, the heavy rain making it more difficult for her to see anything well. The battle was long over, and they had lost.
The other Diamonds had come to Earth to join forces against the rebellious Pink Diamond. Diamonds were extremely powerful and strong. Only a Diamond could damage another Diamond. It had taken three very ruthless and vengeful Diamonds to crack Pink Diamond and force her to retreat to her Gem.
Rose and Pearl had just barely intervened in time to save Pink Diamond from getting shattered beyond salvation. While Rose had fended them off with her shield, Pearl had grabbed the lifeless pink gemstone and made a run for it. Yellow Diamond had left the other two Diamonds to deal with Rose and had gone after Pearl.
Rose Quartz knew she couldn't take on two Diamonds all on her own, though, so she had devised a retreat plan on the spot. The Diamonds didn't even try to chase her. They knew they had won. Without a Diamond leader, the rebellion was doomed to fail and eventually all the surviving traitors would be found and severely punished. The Diamonds could take their time now that the only real threat to them had been neutralized.
Having descended from Sky Arena and landed on Earth soil, Rose soon found Pearl's gem lying next to her man-made sword. Rose picked up the white gem and stroked its smooth surface with her fingers, making sure there wasn't a single crack or scratch. Fortunately, the Diamonds had underestimated Pearl and had simply destroyed her physical form. She would regenerate and come back good as new, though if she knew Pearl, she expected the perfectionist would take at least two weeks to reform.
She was more worried about Pink Diamond. Yellow Diamond might have taken her with her back to Homeworld, to punish her and maybe even torture her until her Gem was completely shattered. Maybe they would keep her imprisoned, use her for one of the horrible experiments Rose knew Homeworld had secretly been conducting. Or maybe Yellow Diamond had just broken her and abandoned her on Earth.
If the latter was the case, Rose wouldn't find her very far from where Pearl's gem lay. Finally, her eye caught a glimpse of pink, the gem half-buried in the grass. Rose hurried to pick it up, the weight and size of the diamond in her hands much greater than Pearl's. Rose carefully checked it over, relieved that Pink Diamond had been left on Earth, but at the same time dismayed to notice that her gem wasn't just cracked anymore, but actually broken.
Before she could really get worked up about it, however, the diamond started to glow. Rose let it go as it floated up in the air several feet above her and the giant humanoid form of Pink Diamond emerged from it.
"My Diamond! You shouldn't!" Rose said once her leader's physical form had fully manifested itself. "Let me help you!" she pleaded.
Pink Diamond didn't respond, or maybe she just couldn't. Her form glitched and wavered. She was obviously in a lot of pain, and if nothing was done soon, the irreversible corruption process would set in. Pink Diamond tried to speak, but the damage to her gem had rendered her unintelligible. Rose felt her heart clench at the pitiful condition her once powerful liege was in.
It also occurred to her that her own life was in grave danger. Pink Diamond was powerful, like all Diamonds. If she got corrupted and went berserk, she might actually shatter Rose, Pearl, and anyone else who was unfortunate enough to cross paths with her.
Trying not to panic, Rose quickly summoned her shield. "Forgive me, my Diamond!" she cried and threw the shield at Pink Diamond, careful to aim it so it wouldn't hit her gem. Too vulnerable to resist the attack, the Diamond's physical form vanished upon impact. Her broken gem fell lifelessly to the ground.
Overwhelmed by the situation and her own actions against her Diamond—even though it had been for a good cause—Rose fell to her knees and cradled the diamond to her chest. Her healing tears dropped on it, but they had no effect. Unwilling to give up and unable to stop crying, Rose stayed where she was and kept on trying.
She didn't know how long she was there, crying on the broken gem. A few hours, at least. It paid off, though. Her tears had actually healed her Diamond a little. Her gem was still badly damaged, but Rose was filled with renewed hope. Maybe she could do it. She could save Pink Diamond.
Many hours later, when Rose thought her eyes had finally dried out of tears, the gem in her hand began to glow and she once again allowed it to leave her hands and project the Diamond's physical body.
Pink Diamond looked only marginally better and was too weak to even keep herself upright. She fell down, her once lush mane of pink hair ragged and covering her face.
Rose knelt down next to her and gently brushed the pink locks of hair out of her Diamond's tired face. It hurt to see her beautiful, kind leader so weakened and in so much pain. Rose wondered why her tears were unable to fully heal her. Was it because her powers weren't strong enough to affect a Diamond? Or was Rose losing her healing powers?
"Rose... please..." Pink Diamond's sweet, melodic voice was but a rasp now, and yet Rose was immensely glad to hear it. At least she could speak again!
Rose gently hushed Pink Diamond, whispering soothing words to her. "You need to rest. I'm going to heal you."
"You can't..." Pink Diamond rasped. "You have... only... delayed... the inevitable..."
"No, my Diamond, don't say that!" Rose pleaded. Pink Diamond couldn't give up so easily. Rose certainly wouldn't. "I can heal you! You'll see! Just hang on and let me do this for you. Everything will be fine."
Even though she hadn't thought there were still any tears left in her eyes, she wept again, making sure that not a single drop went to waste. She had to keep trying. Pink Diamond's life and sanity depended on her.
She tried to ignore the traitorous, defeated voice in her head that reminded her that many times in the past she had attempted to heal corrupted Gems and had never succeeded. There was no cure for Gem corruption. Neither magical healing nor Gemkind's most advanced technology could do anything to help them.
If she couldn't heal Pink Diamond, it was possible that the irreversible corruption process had already started. Pink Diamond must have felt it, too. That was why she had been ready to give up. It was too late.
Several days passed. Pearl was still regenerating inside her gem. Rose barely took notice, not because she didn't care about Pearl, but because she was barely conscious herself. Exhaustion had set in, both physical and emotional, and she was probably on the brink of retreating to her own gem. All this time, she had remained faithfully by her Diamond's side, wetting the broken gem with her tears whenever she found herself crying. She had never cried this much in her entire, very long life.
It had stopped raining at some point. The sun was shining on them, warming Rose up, even though she still felt cold inside. Cold with fear and grief. Even Earth's endless beauty couldn't comfort her right now. She opened her eyes, squinting against the glare of the sun, and realized she had collapsed on top of Pink Diamond. Horrified, she jerked up, hoping that Pink Diamond hadn't noticed her gaffe.
She looked at the Diamond and realized that there was something different about her. Her facial features had changed. Her long, elegant nose was bigger and thicker, her round face was slightly elongated, and even her teeth were slightly sharper. The most alarming change, however, was in her gem. Located on her forehead, it had sunk a couple of inches into her skin.
Rose felt her entire being grow cold, much colder than before, despite the warm sunshine. She knew what theses changes meant. The irreversible corruption process had begun. From now on, Pink Diamond's gem would slowly be pulled into her body and she would turn into a mindless beast.
"Rose..." Pink Diamond's voice was but a barely audible whisper. Rose leaned in closer so she could listen. "Thank you... for everything... you have done... for me..."
It took the Diamond great effort to speak, so Rose didn't interrupt her and let her say what were probably her last words.
"I have... a parting gift... for you..." said Pink Diamond, the ghost of a smile flickering on her ragged face. She closed her eyes and her gem glowed as she summoned her Gem weapon.
Rose took the large sword in her hands and looked at Pink Diamond in bewilderment, a silent question in her eyes. Pink Diamond blinked slowly, as if nodding.
"It's yours now..." she whispered. "Use it... to protect... those you love..."
Rose wanted to refuse it and say that it was pointless, since she couldn't even save the Gem she had been made for. However, she couldn't go against Pink Diamond's wishes, even now. It was a great honor to receive a gift from a Diamond, and that gift being her Gem weapon, Rose had no choice but to accept it.
"Thank you, my Diamond," she replied shakily, fresh tears forming at the corner of her eyes. Even though she knew it was probably useless, she made sure to get them on Pink Diamond's gem again.
"Rose... I have... one last wish..."
Rose's heart clenched at the resigned, definitive tone in her voice. She put the sword aside and once again brushed the Diamond's hair with her fingers, hoping she could at least offer her some comfort.
"Anything, my Diamond," she replied in a whisper, smiling softly.
"When I... lose myself... don't tell anyone... not even Pearl... I don't wish... to be remembered... as a monster..."
Rose bit her lip, refraining from protesting. She wanted to say that she couldn't keep anything from Pearl, her most trusted and loyal confidant. But she couldn't. It was her Diamond's last wish and she had to respect it.
"I understand, my Diamond," she acquiesced. "But I promise I won't give up on you, even if you turn into a monster."
Pink Diamond was unable to say anything else. She just smiled at her second-in-command gratefully. Her eyes were pained, though. There were so many things she still wanted to say, but her time had run out. Her features contorted and morphed, hair starting to grow on her face. Her eyes glowed and her teeth grew sharper. Her broken gem disappeared into her forehead and her whole body glowed as well. Her wide open mouth let out a blood-curdling scream that turned into a monstrous roar.
Rose couldn't move, too drained and shocked to do anything but stare unblinkingly at the ghastly beast before her. For a moment, she was convinced she had fallen asleep like a human and was having a nightmare. This was too surreal and horrible to be true.
She didn't have time to recover from her petrified state and either fight for her life or run away. She just saw an enormous clawed paw come down at her, and her physical form was destroyed.
xxx
When she regenerated, she was in a cave with an also regenerated Pearl.
"Rose!" Pearl exclaimed, her relief palpable. "Thank the stars you're back! I just didn't know what to do or where to go! When I regenerated, your gem was right by my side, along with this!" She gestured at Pink Diamond's—no, Rose Quartz's sword.
Rose gave the poor, distraught Pearl a smile, hoping it would be enough to reassure her. This Pearl had more free will than other Pearls, not to mention above-average intelligence even by Gem standards, but she still got anxious when she was left to her own devices, without anyone to guide her.
"Thank you, Pearl. You did a good job," she commended. "I'm glad you are all right, too."
Pearl smiled brightly, happy that Rose had praised her and even showed concern for her well-being. Then, her smile melted into a worried expression.
"I don't understand, though," she said. "Isn't that Pink Diamond's sword? Where is she? I searched the whole area, but there was no sign of her."
Rose schooled her expression. She hated lying, especially to this special Pearl, but she knew she had to keep her promise to Pink Diamond.
"She has been shattered to dust by the other Diamonds," she said gravely. "Her sword is all that is left."
She hoped that Pearl wouldn't realize that if Pink Diamond had actually ceased to exist, her Gem weapon would have vanished. Thankfully, Pearl either didn't know that or didn't think of it. She was just shocked at the news of Pink Diamond's demise and wept in grief, accepting Rose's comforting embrace and soothing words.
"What do we do now?" Pearl asked, seeming as lost as she had been when she had been abandoned by White Diamond, before Pink Diamond and Rose had taken her in.
Rose looked at the sword lying on the ground, remembering her last moments with Pink Diamond.
"We carry on her legacy," she said. "And protect the ones we love."
xxx
It was only several years later that Rose finally managed to find the former Diamond. Thankfully, she was alone. The monster was just as frightening and hideous as she remembered. It vaguely resembled an Earth animal called lion, with a sturdy body and a wild mane on its head and chest.
Rose approached it slowly, hoping to see a spark of recognition in its feral eyes. The beast itself conserved no sign that it had once been the kind and gentle Pink Diamond.
The monster eyed her suspiciously, not immediately attacking like the previous time.
"My Diamond? Are you still there?" Rose asked, her hands clasped before her chest. The monster growled at her, a warning for her to keep her distance.
Rose didn't heed its warning and kept walking slowly in its direction. The monster bared its sharp teeth and advanced on her to attack. This time, however, Rose was prepared to defend herself. With graceful ease, she leaped in the air and struck the monster, destroying its physical form.
The broken diamond fell to the ground. Rose picked it up and once again wept, letting her healing tears drop on the gem. After several hours, she was pleased to notice that the diamond had mended itself a tiny fraction. It wasn't much at all, but it was still something.
She gently left the diamond on the ground and left.
xxx
She repeated this routine for many centuries, every time she was left alone by Pearl and the other rebels. True to her word, she never told anyone about Pink Diamond's fate. After countless visits and shed tears, the monster had slowly but surely started to change. Even now, although there was still a long way to go, it was barely recognizable as the horrible beast that had attacked Rose.
It was tamer, too. It was still suspicious of Rose, but it didn't attack her anymore, just watched her every move. It had become a little smaller, with a beautiful mane that reminded Rose of Pink Diamond's hair. Even its face was softer, gentler. It looked less and less like a monster and more and more like an Earth animal.
Rose would often speak to it, talk about her day, about Pearl, about the rebellion. The monster didn't show any sign of comprehension, but Rose still hoped that deep down in its mind, Pink Diamond was still there, listening. At the very least, the monster seemed to get calmer at the sound of her voice.
xxx
Millennia went by. The rebellion had won the war, at the cost of many Gems and human lives. Pearl had been one of the few survivors. She and Rose now lived in peace close to a human settlement called Beach City, along with the fusion Garnet and the defective little Amethyst that they had found in an abandoned Kindergarten after the war.
The corrupted Diamond was smaller than Rose now, and as gentle and affectionate as an Earth house cat. It recognized Rose and its eyes had a glint of intelligence and awareness. It responded to her questions and comments as if it could understand her most of the time.
It had remained physically unchanged for several centuries now, though, and Rose was beginning to think that she had finally reached her limit with her healing.
One day, Rose came to find the Gem animal—it could no longer be considered a monster, really—holding her sword in both hands. The corrupted Gem was happy to see her, but it looked a little alarmed when it saw Rose's serious expression.
"My Diamond," Rose started, addressing the corrupted Gem by her original title for the first time in several millennia. "I'm going to be gone for a while."
The Gem tilted its head in confusion. Rose smiled at it reassuringly.
"Don't worry, it won't be forever. You see, I met a human... a wonderful man called Greg. I have decided to fuse with him."
The animal still didn't understand.
"I'm going to have a child with him," Rose revealed, feeling her face flush with excitement and love. "Isn't that wonderful?"
The animal flicked its ears curiously. It still didn't seem to fully grasp what Rose meant, but it looked less worried, recognizing that Rose was happy and that was all that mattered.
"This child will be unique and very special," Rose continued, grinning from ear to ear. "Maybe they will even be able to help you and the other corrupted Gems heal while I'm gone."
Her former leader just blinked at her, eying her inquisitively. Rose thought that maybe it wanted to meet her child. She wondered if they had developed a mental bond to communicate telepathically, or if she had just become very good at reading the animal's body language.
"You'll have to wait a few years to meet them," she explained apologetically. "Maybe a decade or so. They'll probably grow at a similar pace to a human being."
The feline Gem looked pleased by this piece of information. It would get to meet Rose's child, and quite soon, too. A decade or so was but a moment in a Gem's life.
"I humbly ask you to help the Crystal Gems protect my child when you finally meet them," said Rose.
The feline blinked again and pushed its head against Rose's legs in a gesture that Rose had learned was meant to be affectionate. She smiled, feeling that the former Diamond was agreeing to her request and giving her its blessing.
"Thank you," she said, and then lifted the sword in her hands, holding it reverently. "I won't be needing this for now, so I'm returning it to you. Maybe it will be of use to my child someday, but it's up to you if they should have it or not."
The lion-like Gem gave her a look and bowed before her, its Gem glowing. A very small tip of it was poking out of its forehead, though it was hidden by the pink mane. Rose allowed the glowing Gem to pull the sword in.
"I'll visit you every day," Rose reassured it, "until my child is born."
THE END